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Tag: Parkinson's Disease

  • Doctors Detect Indicators Of Parkinson’s Disease By Inspecting The Inner Ear

    Doctors Detect Indicators Of Parkinson’s Disease By Inspecting The Inner Ear

    Detecting Parkinson's Disease early is crucial for slowing its progression and enhancing a patient’s quality of life. A new test, using only a small earwax sample, aims to do just that.
    Analysis of ear wax to detect Parkinson’s Disease would be a cheap, non-invasive way to detect the condition in its early stages
    Image Credits: Depositphotos

    Detecting Parkinson’s Disease early is crucial for slowing its progression and enhancing a patient’s quality of life. A new test, using only a small earwax sample, aims to do just that.

    Parkinson’s affects around 10 million people worldwide, yet doctors still lack a definitive method to diagnose it in its early stages. Current approaches rely on assessments of cognitive and motor functions, which can be imprecise and subject to bias. Other methods involve imaging to exclude other conditions or observing how patients respond to Parkinson’s medications—sometimes prescribed even when the diagnosis is uncertain.

    New Biomarker Breakthroughs Offer Hope for Early Parkinson’s Detection

    Progress in diagnosing Parkinson’s is steadily advancing. Earlier this year, we highlighted research suggesting that a simple eye exam could help detect the disease in its early stages.

    Another promising method focuses on how Parkinson’s affects sebum—the oily substance produced by our skin. In 2021, researchers identified 10 biomarkers that showed significant differences in people with the disease by analyzing sebum collected through non-invasive skin swabs. With this data, they were able to differentiate between individuals with and without Parkinson’s with 85% accuracy.

    Aware that environmental exposure constantly alters the skin’s chemical makeup but still seeing sebum as a promising Parkinson’s indicator, a team of researchers from several Chinese universities and institutes focused on a more protected source of sebum: ear wax. Ear wax, unlike skin secretions, stays protected from external influences and more accurately reflects sebum composition.

    AI and Ear Wax Analysis Achieve 94% Accuracy in Detecting Parkinson’s

    In their study, the team collected ear wax samples from 209 adults—108 of whom had Parkinson’s. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, they identified four volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were significantly reduced in individuals with the disease. They then trained an AI system equipped with scent-detection capabilities on this data. After training, the system was able to distinguish between Parkinson’s and non-Parkinson’s patients with 94% accuracy.

    According to the researchers, this highly successful test could offer doctors a low-cost, non-invasive method for early detection of Parkinson’s Disease. However, they emphasize that further studies are necessary.

    “This approach was tested in a small-scale, single-center study in China,” explains study co-author Hao Dong. “The next phase involves conducting additional research across various stages of the disease, in multiple research centers, and among diverse ethnic groups to assess whether the method holds broader practical value.”

    Read the original article on: New Atlas

    Read more: Your Heart Health Declines After Only Three Nights of Poor Sleep

  • Two Routes to Parkinson’s Disease May Indicate a Singular Method to Avoid Its Onset

    Two Routes to Parkinson’s Disease May Indicate a Singular Method to Avoid Its Onset

    (Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)
    (Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

    Various theories regarding the progression of Parkinson’s disease may suggest that environmental factors play a substantial role, offering insights into preventative measures for a considerable portion of cases.

    Investigation into Disease Origins

    For a period, scientists have explored whether the progressive decline of neurons linked to Parkinson’s originates mainly from the olfactory nerves in the brain or nerves in the gastrointestinal tract.

    An intriguing theory posited by a global team of researchers proposes that the onset of the neurodegenerative disease may commence with the dissemination of harmful proteins from either origin, triggered by potential environmental damage in both areas.

    Both the body-centric and brain-centric hypotheses could be relevant.  (Dorsey et al., Journal of Parkinson's Disease, 2024)
    Both the body-centric and brain-centric hypotheses could be relevant.  (Dorsey et al., Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, 2024)

    Role of Environmental Factors

    Ultimately, substances breathed in through the nasal passages (affecting the brain’s olfactory region) and consumed through the digestive system could both contribute to Parkinson’s, according to the researchers – and forthcoming investigations are expected to elucidate these connections further.

    “In both scenarios where the disease originates in the brain or the body, the pathology emerges from structures closely connected to external factors,” explains neurologist Ray Dorsey from the University of Rochester Medical Center.

    “We suggest that Parkinson’s is a systemic ailment, with its initial origins likely beginning in the nasal and gastrointestinal systems, linked to environmental factors increasingly recognized as significant contributors, if not causes, of the disease.”

    The team identifies chemicals from dry cleaning and degreasing, air pollution, herbicides, weed killers, and contaminated drinking water as potential environmental toxins that could initiate disruptions in brain function.

    This disruption is believed to occur through the misfolding of the alpha-synuclein protein, leading to the formation of clumps known as Lewy bodies, which then damage many of the brain’s nerve cells, including those responsible for motor control.

    Implications and Further Research

    Although this study is primarily theoretical, it cites previously established associations between Parkinson’s and various environmental hazards. However, unraveling these connections with precision will require further investigation.

    “These environmental toxins are widespread, yet not everyone develops Parkinson’s disease,” notes Dorsey.

    “The timing, dosage, and duration of exposure, along with interactions with genetic and other environmental factors, are likely crucial in determining who ultimately develops Parkinson’s.”

    The researchers acknowledge that this novel theory still has unresolved inquiries, including the potential involvement of the skin and microbiome, as well as how prolonged exposures over time may evolve disease susceptibility.

    Indeed, exposures could frequently occur many years or even decades before the manifestation of Parkinson’s symptoms. However, adopting this new hypothetical framework for researching the disease should facilitate the investigation of whether these connections truly exist.

    Dorsey remarks, “strengthening the notion that Parkinson’s, the fastest-growing brain disorder worldwide, could be largely preventable if driven by toxic substances.”

    Read the Original Article on: Science Alert

    Read more: Excellent Glove Is Life Changing For Those With Parkinson’s

  • Toxic Proteins Related to Parkinson’s Disease Blocked By Natural Human Molecules

    Toxic Proteins Related to Parkinson’s Disease Blocked By Natural Human Molecules

    Scientists at the UAB and the UniZar have detected a human peptide located in the brain that prevents the α-synuclein aggregates associated with Parkinson’s disease and helps prevent their neurotoxicity. The research released in Nature Communications suggests that this may be one of the organism’s natural systems to combat aggregation. The learning might help establish new therapeutic and diagnostic techniques for Parkinson’s disease and other synuclein pathologies.

    The death of neurons focused on the synthesis of dopamine, one of the brain’s primary neurotransmitters, wears away the motor and cognitive abilities of those with Parkinson’s disease. The loss of these neurons is associated with alpha-synuclein aggregation. Current studies reveal that oligomers, the initial aggregates of this protein, are the most pathogenic types of α-synuclein and account for the spreading of the disease in the brain.

    As a result, one of the more appealing strategies in combating this condition is to reduce the effects of these oligomers and, therefore, reduce pathological development. Nevertheless, the fact that these aggregates do not present a defined construct and are naturally transitory renders it incredibly challenging to detect molecules that bind with sufficient strength to explore any medical application.

    A scientific partnership between scientists from the Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine (IBB) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and from the Instituto de Biocomputación y Física de Sistemas Complejos (BIFI) of the Universidad de Zaragoza (UniZar) now could detect a human endogenous peptide which strongly and particularly connects to the α-synuclein oligomers, therefore preventing their aggregation and preventing their neurotoxicity, two procedures closely related to the neurodegenerative decline of Parkinson’s disease. The recognition and research of the peptide, called LL-37, was just recently published in Nature Communications.

    Researchers explain that LL-37 engages with the toxic alpha-synuclein oligomers in a particular way and with strength above that of any peptide previously described, comparable to the strength displayed by antibodies. It hinders aggregation at a significantly reduced concentration and shields neuronal cells from being harmed.

    TLL-37 is located naturally in the human organism, both in the brain and intestine, organs in which α-synuclein aggregation occurs in Parkinson’s disease. This suggests that LL-37’s activity may react to a mechanism created by the body to naturally combat this disease, the researchers added.

    Enticed by this idea, scientists now wish to research how its expression can be controlled and if this approach can come to be a risk-free treatment with the potential to influence the course of the disease. Salvador Ventura, a researcher at the IBB and coordinator of the study, stated that there is an opportunity that a treatment for Parkinson’s disease already lies inside us and that it only requires a correct activation.

    The identification of LL-37 was carried out under the framework of research analyzing the design and features of pathogenic oligomers with the purpose of neutralizing them in a particular way. The analyses show that helical peptides with a hydrophobic side and another positively charged side are optimal for this kind of activity. The tests permitted scientists to detect three molecules with anti-aggregation activity. On top of the human molecules, a second peptide present in bacteria and a third artificially made molecule were detected.

    Along with representing a practical therapeutic option for Parkinson’s disease and other synuclein pathologies, the molecules detected in the research are encouraging resources for its diagnosis, considering that they discriminate between functional and toxic α-synuclein varieties.

    Nunilo Cremades, a researcher at BIFI-UniZar and study co-coordinator, said that until now, there were no molecules with the ability to precisely and efficiently detected toxic α-synuclein aggregates; the peptides the team presented on these issues are one-of-a-kind and, for that reason, have exceptional potential as diagnostic and prognostic resources.

    In the research, over 25,000 human peptides were computationally evaluated, and single-molecule spectroscopy techniques, along with protein engineering, were used, along with cell cultures in vitro utilizing toxic oligomers.

    Originally published by Scitechdaily.com

    Reference: “α-Helical peptidic scaffolds to target α-synuclein toxic species with nanomolar affinity” by Jaime Santos, Pablo Gracia, Susanna Navarro, Samuel Peña-Díaz, Jordi Pujols, Nunilo Cremades, Irantzu Pallarès and Salvador Ventura, 18 June 2021, Nature Communications.